Tech Committee Pages

CPPC's Technical Committee exists to keep old Plymouths on the road so people can enjoy them. What the members have in common is a love of cars that goes back to their teenage hotrod days – which for these gentlemen was some time ago. They frequently have personal collections of hard-to-get parts or a pretty shrewd idea where to find them; and by the time you have three or four of these guys together, you have a couple of hundred years of wrench-turning experience. That kind of know-how is priceless, and they make house calls if you provide the coffee and doughnuts. The Tech Committee meets whenever and wherever they might be needed. Phil Lapin heads up the Technical Committee. You can email him from here by clicking on his name, or phone him at 503-816-5644.

Phil and Rose Ann Hall paid $150 for their 1954 Plymouth in 1977, and drove in more than 325,000 miles. In 2012 they took her out of service for restoration, and in 2016 they toured the USA in their freshly-restored Plymouth. Follow this link to read their story.

CPPC member Jeff Miller dragged a 1970 Plymouth Fury convertible out of a field, and has commenced bringing the car back to life. In early September, 2017, the Millers got the car out for a drive for the first time. Click on the picture at left or follow this link for a story and pictures detailing what Jeff has done so far.

Steering gearbox leaking lubricant? Excessive play in the wheel? Worried that your Plymouth's steering gearbox is worn out? Phil Lapin did a little research and discovered ways to adjust a Mopar steering-gear box. Click on the diagram or follow this link to read his article, and get a diagram to download and print.

One of the tech guys followed up a craigslist ad and found a 1942 Plymouth Deluxe sedan in a lean-to, east of Vancouver, WA. The Tech Committee bought it, trailered it to Bob & Yvonne Westphal's garage, and went to work to get it running. A brand-new CPPC member came along, and bought it! Follow this link to see the latest on the '42.

Mike Bade purchased a new-to-him 1935 Plymouth Convertible, by all appearances a well-preserved original car, and soon discovered an overheating problem. Here's what he learned about replacing the water distribution tube in his '35.

Gary Rusher has been fighting a serious vibration problem in his 1930 Plymouth U coupe for several years. Gary has tried one thing after another to locate and quiet the vibration, sharing the trial-and-error process in CPPC's newsletter. This link takes you to all of the Rusher "bad vibration" posts.

Chuck Willis bought a 1975 Dodge Dart basket case, with random pieces of another car thrown in for good measure. He and the Tech Committee have spent a couple of years sorting things out. Here's an article about the process, with photos by Stephanie Willis.

When the original engine in Bob Westphal's 1948 Plymouth P-15 Special Deluxe Coupe finally wore out, he considered his options and decided to swap in a slant-6 and automatic transmission. Follow this link to read the story of the Tech Committee's great Slant-6 into P-15 swap.

CPPC's Tech Committee doesn't discriminate, so when member Russ Ashley's 1940 Ford needed attention, eleven members of the Tech Committee showed up to assist. There was a little drama when the starter engaged and the car started moving on its own, but it all ended well. Read about it here.

Brian Samore found a nice original 1948 Plymouth P15 Special Deluxe Sedan and put it away for safekeeping – for 28 years! Brian and a couple of Tech Committee members woke the car from its slumber, getting it lubed and making sure it would start and stop, and it had been on the road for only two weeks, on the way back from DMV with its "new" 1948 plates, when somebody ran a stop sign, hitting it hard enough to destroy the entire front clip. Here's the rest of the story.

The late Pat Brost, shown here with spouse Patty and their 1933 Plymouth PD convertible, was a frequent contributor to the CPPC newsletter with service and maintenance tips to keep keep Plymouths on the road. Here are his articles on electrical grounding and freeze plugs.

Bob Westphal has been bleeding brake systems for something like sixty years, maybe more, and he's still alive to talk about it. Read his article describing how to bleed brakes without fancy equipment.

Between 1928 and 1939, before sealed-beam headlights were mandated, Plymouth used a variety of headlight lenses. Gary Rusher did some homework and prepared a list, and you can download it at this link.

From mid-1953 through most of the 1954 model year, Plymouth offered Hy-Drive in lieu of a fully-automatic transmission. The fully-automatic PowerFlite became available in '54, and Hy-Drive quietly went away. CPPC member Phil Hall provided the best explication of the Hy-Drive unit that we've ever seen, and we're sharing it here.

Mike Bade is a busy guy, and he was having trouble finding time to work on the hot-rod 1930 Plymouth U coupé that he had kept around since his college days. Donna Bade made a few phone calls, fixed a nice lunch, and the CPPC Tech Committee paid a "surprise" visit to the Bade garage to get things rolling.

CPPC member Don Amundson is also a Washington State Safety Team Member with the National Hot Rod Association, an organization that takes safety seriously. Here's a a link to his article about Battery Disconnect Switches from our newsletter.